Base 370z 7AT vs. Sport Package MT
 

Will be picking up my 370z within the week, got 2 models locally I can choose from within the price I'm willing to pay:

-Base 370z but with Automatic Transmission

-Base + Sport 370z with Manual Transmission

I know the sport package is a great value with the upgraded brakes, wheels and most importantly the VLSD (don't care so much for the aero stuff). But alas, I can't drive manual very well at all...only done so once or twice in my life in an old beater Civic. I know, I know, flame on...ZOMG JOO DUN BELONG IN TEH SPORTZ CARRR!!1one!!11one!

Is it worth it to get the Base 370z and just add a diff on my own (as well as brakes down the line) or just nut up and sharpen my standard transmission abilities? The VLSD is really the most important thing to me out of the Sport package anyway...

The car won't be tracked, but driven (occasionaly spirited) on the street 4 to 5 times a week.

Just looking for some solid opinions from folks have have gone Base and Base + Sport. Thanks!:happydance:

Get the manual, and continue practicing.

Actually, when I buy a car, I always go for the brakes. I'm an occasionally spirited driver as well, but after years of owning various different cars, the most important feature I want at max is not the LSD, the body, nor whatever fancy features in the car, it's the brakes. At many times, the brakes are what save my butt from other drivers' mistakes on the road.

Now how much better are the brakes from stock to the Akebono on the sport package, I do not know, but I kept reading on online magazines that it is worth the upgrade.

Get the manual and learn. You gotta learn some day, so why not now?

Dude, i regret not getting the sports package. Go with the brakes. It WILL help.

7AT is really nice for cruising...but I would have to hop on the manual train on this one.
Go for that manual w/ sport!!

If you think the 7at is only good for cruising then you needa hop in when I'm driving. Lol. Infinite gear ratios gives you on tap accelration like you wouldn't believe and once you master the 7at. You can really customize your driving and make your actions unpredictable when in a race. The trickiest part is learning how to make that 7th gear work for you. Once u understand it. Everyone around u is toast.
:driving:

In this case I say go with the manual. The sport package is not just a cosmetic feature upgrade. The akebono's on this car are among the most power full brakes on a production car. 103 ft stops from 60 are the shortest I have seen on record for a production car thus far. Imagine with lines pads and rotors. Ur looking at well under 100ft.

I like the 7AT on this car for a DD, but I don't think I'd pass on the Sport Package to get it. Besides, everyone needs to own a manual at least once in their life :)

Base + Sport Package = FTW :tup:

Well, I am not saying I don't rip through some gears at times. But when you just want to sit back relax and hit the gas while you have both hands gripping the wheel as the gears shift..then that's where the 7AT has its plus over to manual. I am not saying one is better than the other. :tup:

I know you weren't claiming superiority... lol. I was just sayin.:happydance:

Well it's all settled then.

To everyone in Louisiana and Baton Rouge in particular, stay off the road for the next week as I will probably be stalling like a madman! :driving:

:tup:

6speed sport package for the win! Brakes are amazing and have saved my but from stupid drivers twice already.

Just get what you'll be happiest driving. On the street the base brakes are going to perform admirably and the stopping distances will be the same as the sport brakes. When the brakes are pushed harder then the difference of a fixed caliper will come into play.

I'm going to throw out a wild idea here, now hold on and just bear with me. Are you strapped in? Are you ready?

"Test drive them both and buy the one you like better."

I know, it's a C R A Z Y idea, but it might just work.

YouTube - Nissan 370z (Zcars Part 3) Everyday Driver just watch and listen to this review they talk about the 7at the sport package even the akebono brakes

^^^^This.......BTW.....most of the MT people on this forum HATE the AT and are stuck in the 1960's when manuals really were better. The sport package is a good add, but its not going to be worth it if you have to learn to drive the MT. You will be happier with the 7AT....I know I am.

Infinite gear ratios? It's not a CVT dude :ugh2:

If you drive in a lot of traffic, get the AT. If not, go with the MT. You'll figure it out soon enough.

In their defense, the MT is superior in some ways to the AT for real driving. It's lighter, slightly more efficient at transferring power, and the shifts are faster and more predictable. Also, they can drop out to neutral at any time, and then resume in the gear of their choosing.

I really like my 7AT, it's one of the best AT's I've ever driven. Torque multiplication from the converter is handy, it shifts reasonably fast, and it does have a lock-up system for efficiency. After spending 10 years commuting behind the wheel of a 6-speed machine, I just decided I didn't want to do that anymore in traffic. For a dedicated track car, it's the 6MT without question though.

What we can probably all agree on is we'd rather swap them both for a DSG-type system like the GTR has, or Porsche's PDK thing.

I don't hate automatic transmissions, I just prefer driving manual. I feel it gives you a greater degree of control of the vehicle.

And learning to drive manual is not hard at all. It's a one time cost and then you know how to do it for the rest of your life.

But again, I don't hate automatics. There good. Just drive whatever you like better.

The clutch on this car is a bit sensitive and grabby, especially in first gear. Not as easy to use as, say, a Porsche. I stalled it at a light on the test drive.

op- your area has like 99% straight roads.... even side streets are like frikken straight.

get the manual. learn it. enjoy it.

You dont have the car I have....yes the base specs are the same.....but my tranny is tuned for FI and only a professional driver could even come close to shifting as fast as the 7AT in my car. Every car that has been on the dyno at Z1 that was 6MT, with the same TT, boost pressure, and similar mods, put down the same WHP or less than my car. So, how are they more effiecient at transferring power? And again, how are their shifts faster and more predictable.

You sound like you regret your choice in the tranny you have......I dont. My final point is, if you look at the 1/4 mile times posted on the forum and reported by the major car mags, the 7AT is faster EVERY TIME. Now take that and help me understand how your facts work????